ICBC disputes claims in leaflets

An official with the Insurance Company of British Columbia said the corporation does not treat tourists any differently than B.C. residents.

The rebuttal comes after leaflets began circulating in Whistler warning tourists not to drive in B.C. because they may face, "blame for the accident even if the police say it wasnt your fault," and a host of other claims.

"These brochures seems to have been prompted by a person dealing with ICBC with regard to an injury claim," said ICBC spokeswoman Moira Wellwood.

"We certainly have been in contact with the claimant, we have an independent adjuster working with them and we are certainly working to resolve all the issues.

"The basic premise that ICBC treats tourists or out-of-province people differently is not correct. There is no difference in the way that we would treat anyone from out of province who was involved in a crash here."

The leaflets state they are produced by The North America Tourism Advisory Council.

Efforts to find a representative of the organization were unsuccessful.

A second leaflet, produced by the same group, warning people not to invest in B.C., was also being put on cars in underground garages in Whistler this week.

It urged people to invest in Alberta and not B.C. because it has a more favourable attitude to industry.